Home inspections in Washtenaw County, from Ann Arbor to Manchester
We inspect across Washtenaw County from our Southfield and Grand Blanc offices: Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti, Saline, Dexter, Chelsea, Manchester, Milan, Whitmore Lake and the townships. The county has two kinds of houses, Ann Arbor's older neighborhoods and the newer subdivisions around them, and a lot of private wells outside the cities. That is why the add-ons that matter here are the well and septic package, the FHA and VA well water test, a mold inspection for a finished basement, and a radon test, since Washtenaw runs well above the state average.
Every inspection is done by a certified inspector, comes with thermal imaging and a drone view of the roof when the weather allows, and the digital report is in your inbox the same day. A home inspection starts at $425; the final price depends on the size and age of the home, which is why the instant quote asks for the address.
0%
of Washtenaw County radon tests were above the EPA fix-it level of 4 pCi/L, Dexter 24% (EGLE map, 9,282 tests). Test every house here.
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of Washtenaw County homes were built before 1980, when lead paint and asbestos flooring were still in use. We test for both.
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of Washtenaw County homes were built in 2000 or later, where builder shortcuts in flashing, grading and mechanicals are what we find.
What buyers run into in Washtenaw County
The county's Time of Sale rule, and what we do for the buyer
Washtenaw County is one of the few Michigan counties with a county-wide Time of Sale program: a home on a private well or septic system has to be evaluated by an inspector registered with the county before the sale closes, and the seller arranges that. We are not a county-registered evaluator, so we do not do the county's evaluation. What we do is the buyer's side: an independent well and septic inspection (package from $500, well alone from $275, septic alone from $300) that tells you the condition of the pump, pressure tank, septic tank, baffles and drain field so you can negotiate before you close. The county evaluation is a pass or fail for the county; ours is a report for you, and many buyers get both.
FHA and VA well water testing
Outside the cities and the townships right around Ann Arbor, many homes are on private wells, and buyers in Dexter, Chelsea, Manchester and the townships ask for a water test whether or not a lender requires it. VA loans require a water test on any private well and FHA lenders ask for one in most cases. We pull the sample, send it to a certified lab and deliver the results in the format the lender wants, usually in 2 to 7 business days. The water test starts at $175 and covers coliform bacteria, nitrates, nitrites, lead, arsenic and more.
Radon
Michigan EGLE (the Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy) says about 1 in 4 homes in Michigan tests above the EPA action level of 4 pCi/L. Washtenaw is one of the most-tested counties on EGLE's radon map, and 18% of its 9,282 reported tests came back above the action level (1,665 of 9,282). Dexter (24% of 701 tests), Chelsea (23%), Saline (19%) and Ann Arbor (17% of 5,319) all run above the statewide average of 12%. A 48-hour radon test starts at $200 and can run during the inspection.
Two very different housing stocks
The median Washtenaw home was built in 1978, but that hides the split: 16% of the county's homes date from before 1950 and 52% from before 1980, while 22% of the county's 159,782 units were built in 2000 or later (Census American Community Survey, 2020 to 2024). Older homes get the sewer scope, lead test and asbestos conversation: flooring installers, including Home Depot's, will not pull up pre-1980 vinyl or linoleum without an asbestos test (Home Depot's own installation guidance says so), so we sample flooring, siding and insulation and send it to an accredited lab. Newer ones get a close look at builder-grade flashing, grading and mechanicals.
Basements, moisture and mold
Finished basements are the norm in the county's newer subdivisions, and a finished basement can hide a mold problem for years. Thermal imaging and moisture readings are part of every home inspection, so hidden moisture behind a finished wall shows up in the report with a picture. Our mold inspection (from $275) is done by an IAC2-certified inspector: thermal imaging and moisture meters to find the source, spore-trap air samples and surface samples, and accredited lab results that name the species. The EPA's rule of thumb is that anything that stays wet longer than 24 to 48 hours will usually grow mold, and a finished basement hides exactly that.
Services and starting prices in Washtenaw County
Prices are starting points. The final price depends on the size and age of the home, and the instant quote gives you a firm number before you book. Commercial building inspections are quoted by the building.
- Home inspection, starting at $425
- Radon testing, starting at $200
- Well and septic inspection package, starting at $500 (well alone from $275, septic alone from $300)
- Water testing, starting at $175
- Sewer scope, starting at $150
- Mold testing, starting at $275
- Termite (WDI) inspection, starting at $200
- Thermal imaging, starting at $125
- Lead testing, starting at $100
- Asbestos testing, starting at $300
- Pool and spa inspection, starting at $125
- Pre‒listing inspection, starting at $425
- New build blue tape inspection, starting at $525
- Investor property verification, starting at $250
- Soil testing, starting at $250
Washtenaw County towns we cover
Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti, Saline, Chelsea, Dexter, Manchester, Milan, Whitmore Lake, Pittsfield Township, Scio Township, Superior Township, Ypsilanti Township, Lodi, Lima, Webster, Northfield, Salem, Augusta, York, Freedom, Sharon, Sylvan, Lyndon and Bridgewater townships. If your address is in the county, we cover it.
Questions from Washtenaw County buyers
Do you really drive to Ann Arbor for an inspection that starts at $425?
Can you do the Time of Sale evaluation?
Which water test does my lender want?
How fast is the report?
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